Finger nail cleaners



June 14, 1955 M. E. FLEMING FINGER mm. CLEANERS Filed May 13, 1953 M gm x 55 Lam (Jr/10M em 7L ATTORNEY FINGER NAIL CLEANERS Margaret Ellen Fleming, Niagara Falls, N. Y., assignor to John Stuart Fleming, Niagara Falls, N. Y.

Application May 13, 1953, Serial No. 354,719

s Claims. (Cl. 13Z73) The invention relates to finger nail cleaners, this application being related to the application Serial Number 220,063, filed April 9, 1951, entitled Manicure Tool. Known finger nail cleaners are made of metal, wood or stiff cardboard, and being stiff tend to injure the finger nail and the adjacent cuticle, and if they are to be cushioned require additional cushioning material, such for example as raw cotton. Known finger nail cleaners merely push the dirt along and leave much of it behind. An object of the invention is to provide a finger nail cleaner which is self-cushioned and made of material inherently not self-cushioned, thereby avoiding need for the use of additional cushioning material. Another object is to provide such a finger nail cleaner composed of a plurality of superposed thin paper layers the forward end portions of which consist of a plurality of superposed pointed thin paper tongues having their adjacent surfaces free of connection with one another. Another object is to provide such a finger nail cleaner the oblique forward edges of the paper tongues of which are capable of being brought into hugging relationship with and of getting under and scraping the dirt from the inner side of the free end portion of the finger nail and from the adjacent cuticle. Another object is to provide such a finger nail cleaner the paper layers and the paper tongues of which are laterally spaced apart and form a scoop for scooping up the dirt. Another object is to provide such a finger nail cleaner capable of being produced in quantity at small cost and of being discarded after use so that it is more sanitary. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter or will be obvious.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is an edge view of the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the same on an enlarged scale, as in use.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front view of the same on an enlarged scale as in use.

Figure 5 is an edge view of the same on an enlarged scale and partly broken away.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6, Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the blank.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention on an enlarged scale, as in use.

Figure 9 is a plan view of the two identical blanks.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the finger nail cleaner, having opposite spaced longitudinal edges 2, and a forward oblique edge 3, intersecting'one of said longitudinal edges in a point 2". The cleaner is composed of a plurality of superposed thin paper layers 4, the forward end portions of which consist of a plurality of superposed pointed thin paper tongues 5 having their adjacent surfaces free of connection with one another, said paper tongues having oblique forward edges 3 and rear boundaries 3 extending transversely of the cleaner,

States Patent 2,710,613 Patented June 14, 1955 said rear boundaries being constituted by the junctures of said paper tongues with said paper layers. Means are provided for connecting the paper layers together as will be hereinafter explained.

The paper layers 4 and the paper tongues 5 are laterally spaced apart and constitute a scoop 6.

The pointed thin paper tongues 5 are laterally flexible and are capable of being brought into hugging relationship with the inner side of the free end portion of the finger nail A and the adjacent cuticle B, the oblique forward edges of the outer pair of said paper tongues being capable of getting under and scraping the dirt from the finger nail and the adjacent cuticle into the scoop 6.

Each pointed paper tongue 5 is individually yieldable from its oblique forward edge 3 towards its rear boundary 3' and adapted to bear a part of the finger cleaning load, the plurality of said paper tongues 5 being collectively less yieldable from their oblique forward edges towards their rear boundaries and adapted to bear the entire load, which entire load is distributed among the plural tongues, thereby rendering the cleaner self-cushioned and avoiding need for the use of raw cotton or other additional cushioning material. The yielding of the paper tongues from their oblique forward edges towards their rear boundaries is communicated to some extent to the portions of the paper layers 4 located immediately in rear of said rear boundaries 3' of the paper tongues.

A single pointed thin paper tongue 5 is too yieldable from its oblique forward edge 3 towards its rear boundary 3' to form a finger nail cleaner and too yieldable to be cushioned.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. l-7 of the drawings, the cleaner is made from a blank having four subdivisions 7, said blank being folded along the fold lines 8 to superpose said subdivisions as layers upon one another and to provide paper fold connections 9 of the paper layers extending along both longitudinal edges 2 of the cleaner. The outermost paper layer 4 is pasted down to the paper layer immediately thereunder by an adhesive 11, Fig. 7, extending along the shorter longitudinal edge 2 of the cleaner resulting from its oblique forward edge 3. The paper tongues 5 are connected together by the paper folds 9 extending along the longer longitudinal edge of the cleaner. The oblique forward edges 3 of the inner paper tongues 5 may be set back a little from the oblique forward edges of the outer paper tongues. The contracted space between the free end portion of the finger nail and the adjacent cuticle is somewhat expanded in the use of the cleaner, as shown in Fig. 4.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 8, 9 of the drawings, wherein the same reference characters are used differentiated by the esponent 1, the cleaner is made from two identical blanks, each of which has two subdivisions 7, each blank being folded along its fold line 8' to superpose its subdivisions as layers upon one another and to provide paper folds 9, one folded blank being located within the other folded blank, the paper layers 4 being connected together along the shorter longitudinal edge 2 of the cleaner by an adhesive 11 and along the longer longitudinal edge of the cleaner by the paper folds 9, the pointed paper tongues 5 being connected together by the paper folds 9. The adhesive 11' connects the interfitted folded blanks together.

The paper material of which the cleaner is stated to be composed may be substituted by any other equivalent material. The thickness of the paper is subject to some variation. It is to be understood that I am entitled to modifications coming within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A self-cushioned finger nail cleaner made from,

material inherently not self-cushioned, the cleaner having opposite spaced longitudinal edges and a forward edge intersecting one of said longitudinal edges in a point, and being composed of a plurality of superposed thin paper layers, the forward end portions of said paper layers comprising a plurality of superposed pointed thin paper tongues having forward edges extending transversely of the cleaner, and means for connecting said paper layers and said paper tongues together comprising paper fold connections of the paper layers extending along one longitudinal edge of the cleaner, said paper tongues having their adjacent surfaces free of connection with one another, each paper tongue being individually yieldable from its forward edge rearwardly thereof and adapted to bear a part of the finger cleaning load, the plurality of superposed paper tongues being collectively less yieldable from their forward edges rearwardly thereof and adapted to bear the entire load, which entire load is distributed among the plural tongues.

2. A self-cushioned finger nail cleaner as defined in claim 1, characterized in that said paper tongues are laterally flexible to bring them into hugging relationship with and to scrape the dirt from the inner side of the free end portion of the finger nail and the adjacent cuticle, the forward edges of the thin paper tongues being capable of getting under said dirt, said paper tongues constituting a scoop for scooping up said dirt.

3. A self-cushioned finger nail cleaner as defined in claim 1, characterized in that said means for connecting the paper layers together consists of paper fold connections of the paper layers extending along both longitudinal edges of the cleaner, the cleaner being made from a blank having a plurality of subdivisions, said blank being folded to superpose its subdivisions as layers upon one another and to provide said paper fold connections of the paper layers.

4. A self-cushioned finger nail cleaner as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the cleaner is made from a plurality of identical blanks each of which has two subdivisions, each blank being folded to superpose its subdivisions as layers upon one another and to provide said paper fold connections of the paper layers, the folded blanks being fitted within. one another, and adhesive means for connecting the interfitted folded blanks together.

5. A self-cushioned finger nail cleaner made from material inherently not self-cushioned, the cleaner having opposite spaced longitudinal edges and a forward oblique edge intersecting one of said longitudinal edges in a point, and being composed of a plurality of superposed thin paper layers, the forward end portions of said paper layers comprising a plurality of superposed single thin paper tongues having forward oblique edges and rear boundaries extending transversely of the cleaner, said rear boundaries being constituted by the junctures of said paper tongues with said paper layers, and means for connecting said paper layers and said paper tongues together comprising paper fold connections of said layers extending along the longer longitudinal edge of the cleaner resulting from its oblique forward edge, said paper tongues having their adjacent surfaces free of connection with one another, each paper tongue being individually yieldable from its oblique forward edge rearwardly thereof and adapted to bear a part of the cleaning load, the plurality of superposed paper tongues being collectively less yieldable from their oblique forward edges rearwardly thereof and adapted to bear the entire load, which entire load is distributed between the plural paper tongues.

6. A self-cushioned finger nail cleaner as defined in claim 5, characterized in that said paper tongues are laterally flexible to bring them into hugging relationship with and to scrape the dirt from the inner side of the free end portion of the finger nail and the adjacent cuticle, the forward edges of said thin paper tongues being capable of getting under said dirt, said paper tongues being laterally spaced apart and constituting a scoop for scooping up said dirt.

No references cited. 

